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Health and Safety Certificates in the Construction Industry

Health and Safety Certificates in the Construction Industry

There are a range of health and safety certificates available in the construction industry and Vanda Coatings have all the necessary ones and more. Any buyer or principal contractor can be confident that the service we provide will not only be of a high quality, but that health and safety is always a priority.

Most contractors will administer a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire to all their suppliers in order to assess whether they comply with Health and Safety (H&S) legislation and that they have the resources to carry out projects. The pre-qualification process is a legal necessity before a principal contractor brings a company on board as a supplier. This was stipulated by CDM (Construction Design and Management) in 2007 and certification makes this procedure less complex.

Vanda Coatings has a health and safety policy that all our employees abide by, but we also have a range of H&S certificates in support of the high standard of our work. This certification means that contractors can bypass laborious investigations and tendering need not be so bureaucratic.

Why Have a Safecontractor Certificate?

Vanda Coatings has been awarded a Safecontractor certificate for two years in a row now, though our health and safety record has been spotless since we began trading nearly twenty years’ ago. The Safecontractor health and safety assessment scheme verifies the competency of a supplier in providing a standardised, high level of service according to regulations within the construction industry. Members of Safecontractor have been vetted and can be trusted to work on projects safely and this is one of the reasons why the paint spraying services offered by Vanda Coatings are often asked for by clients.

We are on approved lists of contractors throughout the UK partly because all our employees are highly qualified. Managers and team leaders have SSSTS certificates and all operatives also have CSCS, IPAF, PASMA and UKATA certificates. Vanda Coatings also train employees in-house, but these are not the only reasons we are on a large number of approved lists of clients.

What is a SMAS Certificate?

We have a Safety Management Advisory Services Limited (SMAS) Worksafe Certificate which has been verified by SSIP (the Safety Schemes in Procurement Competence Forum). The SSIP officially assesses H&S pre-qualification schemes and SMAS as well as Safecontractor are members.

For certification, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) insist on various criteria being satisfied. These include a far reaching Health and Safety Policy, appropriately trained employees, comprehensive risk and method statements and spotless accident statistics. Our SMAS certificate guarantees that we are a competent company. We have been appraised as being skilled to carry out work according to our remit and deemed to have enough resources to do this.

What is the CHAS Scheme?

Another scheme covering H&S is CHAS. The Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme (CHAS) has deemed Vanda Coatings as having a high standard of health and safety as required by law. This also means we are an approved supplier to CHAS buyers.

In 1997 CHAS was created to bypass laborious health and safety applications and to establish a consistent standard. Now, evaluating the health and safety levels of companies is much easier to do. Consequently, over 50,000 suppliers and 570 buyers are part of the CHAS scheme.

As a supplier, our CHAS certificate assures buyers that we manage health and safety appropriately and that we are an experienced company with the adequate resources to be capable of carrying out all the projects we embark on. Our certification means that the lengthy process of investigating our efficacy and health and safety competency can be side-stepped with confidence.

How Does a Green Dragon Certificate Help the Environment?

Another major concern is the environment and Vanda Coatings has an environmental policy because we are committed to protecting the environment and the people who inhabit it. In line with legislation, our policy regards our use of chemicals during the on-site spraying of architectural metalwork as well as how we store, transport and dispose of those substances.

Because we transport waste such as specialist coatings, we have a Waste Carriers Certificate. Unused paints and thinners cannot simply be tipped down the drain as this would cause extensive damage to the environment. They have to be disposed of responsibly and we make sure this happens.

We have been allocated a Green Dragon Level 1 certificate for Commitment to Environmental Management which acknowledges our dedication to the safety of both employees, the public and the environment itself. The audit examined all aspects of energy and water consumption as well as waste disposal. Furthermore, our Environment Management System (EMS) and our Environment Champion support the effort we make in working to a high standard and improving our performance.

What do Certificates Mean in the Construction Industry?

Principal contractors know that in terms of health and safety, a supplier is adequate once they have been certified by an organisation overseen by the SSIP. However, it is still important to assess a supplier on an individual basis according to certain criteria.

Health and safety certificates are crucial in the construction industry, but we have our own higher standards as well. Vanda Coatings have stringent policies regarding health, safety and the environment with the experience and personnel to carry out on-site spraying to a consistently high quality. For each project we provide method statements and risk assessments. We do not subcontract and ensure that all our employees are appropriately qualified. Each site is managed by team leaders and overseen by managers and ultimately directors with health and safety being a key element. Vanda Coatings can also supply references upon request.